History of the Kings of the Goths, Vandals and Suevi

The Historia de regibus Gothorum, Vandalorum et Suevorum is a Latin chronicle written by Isidore of Seville, covering the history of the Goths from 265 to 624. It is a condensed account and, because it draws on diverse sources, it is sometimes inconsistent. The history of the Vandals follows that of the Goths, and a separate account of the Suevi is appended.

The work opens with a prologue, the Laus Spaniae, in which Isidore praises the virtues of Spain and coins the phrase mater Spania (mother Spain). The rest of the text develops and defends the Gothic identity of a unified Spain. Isidore dates events by the Spanish era. His sources change with the period: for the early history he relies on Jerome's continuation of Eusebius, then mainly on Orosius and, for Spain, on Hydatius; for later events he draws on Prosper of Tiro, on Victor of Tununa for Africa, and on John of Biclar for recent Spanish history. For events in Spain between 590 and 624 he is our principal source.

Two versions survive. The first, probably completed in 619, is shorter. The longer version, probably finished around 624, is the only one to contain the Laus Spaniae and the Laus Gothorum, a eulogy of the Goths that separates their history from that of the Vandals. Theodor Mommsen's edition remains the standard, and the work was translated into German before its first English translation.